Previously, dough cutters collectively have been in use in a variety of shapes and sizes. In most cases, the shape of a cookie cutter is related to a type of theme or a particular form of pastry. Some cutters are completely hollow, and others have a cutting blade on the bottom. While the shape of a cutter is not unique by itself, a combination of individual cutters connected side by side to form a recognizable word offers a cookie made therefrom novelty not heretofore achieved.
A search of the prior art failed to disclose any combination cutters that read on the claims of the instant invention, however, for background purposes and as indicative of the art to which this invention relates, the following patents are cited.
Riddle, in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 161,208, discloses a design using the alphabet in a dish set wherein each dish is formed into the shape of one of the letters of the alphabet. All of the shapes of the dishes are formed from upper case letters and the bottoms are flat with outwardly tapered sides. The shape of the sides would, by their very nature, exclude them from being used to cut out a resilient substance, such as dough, used in baking into an alphabet shape.
Conrad, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,489, issued May 4, 1982 teaches a dough cutter having a handle with an apparatus for limiting the movement of the cutter. On the cutting surface separate cutting elements are in side by side relationship and have depending cutting ribs. The cutters are removable and are retained on a single base. Although separate elements are taught, the relationship therebetween is to change the shape of the cut image, however, the connection therebetween has no particular relevance or purpose, such as forming a word pattern, as taught in the instant invention.